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Bachelor of Commerce with Honours (BCom(Hons))

Overview
Regulations for the Degree of Bachelor of Commerce with Honours (BCom(Hons)
Subject Areas
Applications

Overview

The Bachelor of Commerce with Honours (BCom(Hons)) degree is an undergraduate programme which can be taken by meritorious students. The degree involves four years of full-time study (or equivalent part-time study). Students are typically invited to study at the Honours level by the Head of Department in the second or third year of study. The degree incorporates an additional year of intensive study, culminating with the completion of a research dissertation.

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Regulations for the Degree of Bachelor of Commerce with Honours (BCom(Hons))

1 Admission to the Programme

(a) Admission to the programme shall be subject to the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce).

(b) To be admitted to a second stage Honours programme, an applicant must normally have passed, with a grade average of at least B-, papers worth at least 108 points for the degree of Bachelor of Commerce, of which at least 36 points shall be for 100-level papers in the subject, or in each of the subjects, in which the Honours programme is to be taken, and have a grade average of at least B+.

(c) To be admitted directly to a third stage Honours programme without having passed the second stage, an applicant must normally have passed, with a grade average of at least B-, papers which total 252 points, including at least 72 points at 200-level, 54 points of which must be 200-level papers in the subject, or in each of the subjects, in which the Honours programme is to be taken, for which the applicant shall have a grade average of at least B+.

(d) To be admitted directly to a fourth stage Honours programme without having passed the corresponding second and third year stages, an applicant must normally have passed papers worth 360 points, have fulfilled at least one of the major subject requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Commerce, have not been admitted to the degree of Bachelor of Commerce, and have achieved a grade average of at least B+ for the equivalent of the third stage Honours course in the subject or subjects in which the Honours programme is to be taken.

(e) A student who holds the degree of Bachelor of Commerce shall not be admitted to an Honours programme nor may a student graduate in the degree of Bachelor of Commerce while enrolled for a fourth year Honours course.

(f) An applicant may be admitted provisionally to an Honours course in cases where the prerequisites and required grades have not been achieved. Admission will be confirmed or withdrawn by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce) after one academic year.

2 Subjects of Study

(a) The degree may be awarded in any one of the subjects listed below (for Single Honours), or in any approved combination of the subjects listed below (for Combined or Double Honours).

(b) With the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce), the degree may be awarded in a subject not listed below or in a combination (for Combined or Double Honours) of one of the subjects listed below and a subject in which an Honours degree can be taken in another discipline.

3 Structure of the Programme

(a) Every degree programme shall include the following Required Papers*: BSNS 101, BSNS 102, BSNS 103, BSNS 104, BSNS 105, BSNS 106, BSNS 201.

(b) For a candidate admitted to a second stage Honours course the degree shall

(i) for Single Honours: satisfy the Honours Subject Requirements for one of the subjects listed below.

(ii) for Combined Honours: contain some of the 200-, 300- and 400-level papers set down in the requirements for each of the two subjects, the number of papers from each subject to be determined by the Heads of Departments concerned, provided that at least 144 points are taken in each of the second and third stages.

(iii) for Double Honours: in the second and third stages of the Honours programme include papers as for Combined Honours, followed by the two fourth stage Honours courses as for Single Honours taken in consecutive years.

(c) A candidate admitted directly to a third stage Honours course shall be exempted from the second stage Honours course, but shall complete the third and fourth stage courses specified above. The candidate may be required to complete specified additional work in place of the second stage Honours course. A candidate admitted directly to a fourth stage Honours course shall complete the fourth stage course specified above.

(d) Every second, third and fourth stage Honours course must be completed in a single year, and the fourth stage course must be completed in a time of not more than one year in excess of the minimum time for completing the degree after admission to the Honours programme.

(e) A Single Honours candidate in a subject may, with the permission of the Heads of Departments concerned, substitute for one of the required papers in that subject in the third and fourth Honours stage courses a paper of another subject. When such permission is granted, prerequisite and corequisite requirements laid down in the Prescriptions may be waived.

(f) Any dissertation or research paper prescribed for a fourth stage Honours course must be submitted no later than 1 November of that year, or by an earlier date as determined by the Head of Department concerned.

* Note: These papers should normally be completed before enrolling in 300-level papers.

4 Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions

Every programme of study shall satisfy the requirements for prerequisites, corequisites and restrictions set out in the Prescriptions.

5 Withdrawal from the Programme

(a) A candidate whose results are not satisfactory may be required to withdraw from the Honours programme.

(b) When a candidate withdraws from an Honours programme, voluntarily or otherwise, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce), may recommend that the degree of Bachelor of Commerce be awarded or determine the points which shall be credited towards that degree.

6 Standard of Award of the Degree

(a) The degree may be awarded with First Class Honours, with Second Class Honours (Division I), with Second Class Honours (Division II), or with Third Class Honours. The class of Honours awarded shall be determined by the examiners primarily on the performance of the candidate in the fourth stage of the programme.

(b) A candidate who fails to obtain Honours may, on the recommendation of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce), be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Commerce.

(c) A candidate who fails to obtain Honours may not resit all or part of the fourth stage of the Honours programme in a subsequent year unless the Senate has determined that his or her performance in those examinations was seriously impaired.

7 Variations

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce) may in exceptional circumstances approve a course of study which does not comply with these regulations.

Note: An application for admission to the programme is required; this is separate from the enrolment process. Applications should reach the Division of Commerce by 15 January. Late applications will be considered.

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Subject Areas

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Applications

Application forms are available from the Office of the Dean, School of Business, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. Tel 64 3 479 8149, email business@otago.ac.nz

Programme Requirements